Stalag 17 (1953)

So much average

Best movie ever!

Admirable film.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

I don't get it. What's the big deal? It's a slapstick. Granted, Wilder heart is instilled here and there, but I'm not crying and I ain't laughing.

STALAG 17 is one of the granddaddies of the prisoner of war genre and stands out from having a lightness of touch which comes to the production courtesy of director Billy Wilder. Certainly Wilder skirts the more depressing aspects of life in a Nazi prisoner of war camp and instead concentrates on presenting the larger than life characters who occupy one of the buildings. There's a lot of incidental character humour inserted into the movie, particularly with the antics of a couple of losers who spend their days boozing and dreaming about women.Thankfully the comic hijinks don't retreat from the thrills of the main storyline, which is about one of the men being a secret informer who keeps telling the German camp commanders all of the prisoners's secrets. Poor old William Holden - a likable everyman hero - is suspected thanks to his wheeling and dealing ways, but of course he's innocent so he has to try to figure out the identity of the man for himself.This is a breezy movie with little material to offend or bore. The acting is exemplary and the pacing, although slow, is sufficient enough to keep you intrigued throughout. There are some good actors in support including Neville Brand, Peter Graves, Otto Preminger, and Robert Strauss. Some of the set-piece scenes, particularly towards the climax, are particularly thrilling. STALAG 17 is a lot of fun.

Stalag 17, Billy Wilder's adaptation of the 1951 Broadway hit, is a rowdily entertaining prisoner of war movie, screened as a lusty comedy-melodrama, loaded with gallant, masculine humor and the original's uninhibited earthiness The film surrounds the inhabitants of one of the myriad prisoner of war camps established by Germany during World War II – Stalag 17. When two American prisoners, attempting to escape from the camp, run into a German ambush led by German commandant, Von Scherbach (Otto Preminger), it becomes clear to the men in the barrack that they have an informer in their midst. Suspicion fastens on master trader Sergeant Sefton (William Holden), a charismatic, slick-talking yet cynical loner who irritates his camp-mates because he brazenly makes swaps and takes odds on who's going to live or die. All the men in the barracks start to suspect him of trading more than cigarettes and silk stockings with the Germans. A second betrayal seems to confirm their suspicions and he is beaten up by the men mercilessly. Of course, we're certain from the beginning that Sefton isn't the guilty party. Our cocky black- marketeer however, refuses to play the patsy and resolves to expose the traitor before embarking on his own bid for freedom. Set entirely within a WWII German prison camp for American servicemen, this serio-comedy depicts in a raw, edgy, and humorous way their daily existence, defined by cruel ironies, prickling situations, jousting schemes, rivalry feuds and oneupmanship games. Like a lot of Wilder's oeuvre, Stalag 17 is open about the comic side of lust, and that frankness, however slight, still sounds refreshingly adult. Wilder uses a suspense approach with plenty of leavening humorous byplay springing from the confinement of healthy young males. He superbly balances elements of drama, satire and comedy, and captures the claustrophobia of camp life. He also manages to extract a wonderful performance from his cast, including a truly award-winning turn by William Holden as the cocky, self- serving American prisoner and Otto Preminger, who relishes his part as a nasty Nazi.Stalag 17 has a certain humanity and realism that involves you with the intensity of its settings. Like all of Wilder's works, it is not transparently jaded, preachy or egocentric but an astounding blend of revelatory, entertaining and riveting.

The more I'm watching films directed by Billy Wilder, the more I'm getting convinced that he could very well be the most brilliant & versatile filmmaker of the 20th century for this master writer-director had a remarkable knack for wit which kept almost all his films a light-hearted affair, including those which dealt with serious subject matters, yet effortlessly managed to deliver its message without ever compromising with the entertainment factor.Set during The Second World War in a German POW camp that houses only American sergeants, the story begins with two prisoners from the barrack who after careful planning with the rest of inmates try to escape the camp but are discovered & shot down. The rest of the inmates suspect that one amongst them is an informer but when the suspicion falls on the camp's notorious black marketeer, he decides to find out the real culprit before it's too late for him.Excellently directed by Billy Wilder, Stalag 17 is another one of his unpolished gems which is set during the final years of World War II, in a Nazi prisoner of war camp and yet, despite its grim setting, remains a fun & rollicking experience from start to finish. Cleverly scripted as well, Wilder effortlessly succeeds in balancing all its elements, provides just the perfect dose of every genre this film deals with & employs near-perfect use of humour in its plot.Coming to the technical aspects, the camps depicted in the movie have an authentic feel to some extent, the black n white photography is brilliantly carried out, editing keeps the flow of entertainment smooth & although the use of music is minimal, it's fitting wherever it is present. Every character we interact with exhibit a distinct personality yet it's William Holden who plays an anti-hero here whom we choose to invest our emotions in & are finely rewarded in the end, thanks to his stellar performance.On an overall scale, Stalag 17 is one of the finest World War II prisoner of war films that has something in store for every kind of cinema viewer out there. It's a first rate spy-thriller that offers a first-rate entertainment with its brilliant take on the genres of war, drama, comedy, thriller & mystery and doesn't feel even slightly aged despite being over half century old. People who don't like something funny being made out of what was a horror event may find a lot to criticize but for me, it just works. Highly recommended.